Columbus, Ohio — Because it is not a quote from the Bible, Federal
Judge James Graham ruled in September that the words of the state
motto of Ohio, "With God all things are possible," are permissible to
display on state property. He said, "They do not state a principle
unique to Christianity. They could be classified as generically
theistic." He added that if the motto came from Matthew 19:26, for
instance, the motto would favor Christianity over all other religions.

Last year the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the motto as
an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Ohio adopted the motto
in 1959. Three other states, Florida, South Dakota, and Arizona have
the word "God" in their state mottos. Arizona's state motto is in
Latin.